Latte Float

Here’s a little treat I made myself to celebrate the fact that it was mid-morning (any reason to celebrate is a good one right?).

There was a tiny bit of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream left in the carton (Dave Matthew’s Band Magic Brownies in case you’re wondering, raspberry with cream and brownies). I remembered a treat I had a few times at a Ben & Jerry’s cafe in Amsterdam and decided to recreate it. Foamy, milky coffee + ice cream = yum.

The ice cream sunk to the bottom as soon as I put it in, but you can just about see the tip of the ice-berg. If you get in there with a spoon right away, you get to enjoy a mixture of cold ice cream mixed with the hot latte! And when it’s all melted, you’re left with a creamy, flavored coffee – so good. It’s a great way to enjoy a bit of ice cream on a cold & wintry day!

This would be so good with hot chocolate too, maybe with mint chocolate chip ice cream?

Do you have any plans for the weekend? I am going to the Interior Design Show in Toronto tomorrow, I’m excited!

Hope your weekend is lovely!

One Room Challenge // Week 2

Today is week 2 of the One Room Challenge! Here are a few inspiration photos for our dining room that inspired me to paint our dining room chairs black:

Love the chalkboard wall in this one too! I won’t do a wall in ours, but I might do something with a chalkboard…

{Via Plush Palate}

This photo is so beautiful and seeing how great those black windsor chairs look in a light room convinced me to bring out the black paint.

{Via Sanctuary}

So far, I’ve put wood fuiller on some dents and scratches in the seats and I’m working on coating them all in primer. I wonder how many coats of black paint it’s gonna take me to get an even color…I’ll let you know when I get there!

And here are a couple of fabrics that I am looking at for the room:

This one has that watercolor look that I love, as well as flowers and the right colors.


IKEA GULLAN BLOM fabric

This one reminds me of Kate Spade’s hallway. (See my post from last week here.)

IKEA SOFIA fabric

Which one is your favorite?

Be sure to check out the other talented ladies who are doing this challenge!

Saved by Suzy
Dutch.British.Love
Trapped in North Jersey
Nicole Scott Designs
Kim Macumber Interiors
Rue de Emily
The Pink Pagoda
refresheddesigns
Nana Moon Shop
Taylor Morgan Design
Insideways
My Crafty Home Life
House Four
Living Savvy
(A Lifestyle Thing)

Quick Project: Sheet Music & Glitter Heart

A few months ago, I found this frame among a pile of things my neighbors had put outside to get rid of.

I wanted to fill it with something and I was inspired by Holly at Life in the Fun Lane to do a quick project involving paper and glitter.

I took some sheet music and gave it more aged look by dyeing it with tea.

I then glued it onto a backing (cardboard from a cereal box in this case) and made a heart template out of paper. I put the template on top of the paper and applied Mod Podge, working from the outside in so the glue wouldn’t leak. Then I sprinkled glitter on top.

A little fun fact: The sheet music is of “My Favorite Things” from The Sound of Music – my favorite movie when I was little. I just went to the Sound of Music Sing-a-Long show which was a lot of fun! I actually teared up a bit when belting out My Favorite Things along with the rest of the audience – it brought me back to being a child and watching the Sound of Music with my parents and sister, being so enthralled by the story. Ah, memories…

I hope you’re having a good week!

5 Lovely Things & 5 Lovely Links

{5 Lovely Things}

1. These pretty bowls put me in the mood for Valentine’s Day.
2. This Marine Dress by Joe Fresh is only $29, such a great addition for a Spring wardrobe.
3. I saw these SOLO Pendants on Courtney Lane and couldn’t get them out of my head. I think they’re the perfect mix of minimalist and embellished.
4. Joanna Goddard’s bedroom caught my eye when Lisa blogged about it on Elembee. It’s the perfect example of how primary colors can be used with elegant result. It looks like such a happy space!
5. These Cashmere Undies would be the perfect way to keep my bum warm & cozy in cold Canadian winters. It’s too bad they’re $45 a piece, however it is the type of luxury product that I feel might just be worth its price tag.

{5 Lovely Links}

1. This post by Alexandra Franzen about how Money Amplifies Your Art brought home the point that true abundance is not in money – money only amplifies what you already are.
2. As someone who owns white appliances and doesn’t love the look of stainless steel for my own kitchen, I loved seeing these beautiful photos of kitchens with white appliances in Courtney’s post on White appliance vs. Stainless Steel.
3. Tori wrote a post on building an on-line community with links to some good articles on the topic.
4. Holly from Life in the Fun Lane started a new series called Paint Perfection where she shares her tips and techniques for painting furniture from start to finish. Reading Holly’s blog is what first got me interested in painting furniture, I am so excited to learn from her about the way she tackles a piece!
5. I enjoyed this TED talk on How Beauty Feels. It made me think a lot about the physical effects beauty has on us.

I hope your weekend was lovely!

15 Things Before 30

I was watching New Girl yesterday (do you watch that show?) and it was about Nicks birthday party – he mentions in the beginning of the episode that this one is important to him because he is turning 29 and it’s the LAST YEAR OF HIS TWENTIES…! Well, I realized (not for the first time) that I am already there…well into my 29th (8 months to be precise ) and only 4 months away from the big 3-0.

I’ve seen people do 30 before 30 (30 things they want to do before they turn 30). However, since I am kind of late into the year but still thought it would be fun to make a list, I am doing 15. None of these are earth-shattering or even particularly adventurous, but they are things that I’d like to look back on in 4 months and say: Yes, I did that. So here it is:

1 Sew a piece of clothing (top or skirt). Back in Holland, my aunt taught me to sew, but I haven’t sewn a piece of clothing since I came to Canada. I bought a sewing machine a few years back but it’s mostly been used for hemming jeans. I really want to tackle some simple & fun projects with it. I think one piece of clothing should be a good start!
2 Finish my interior decorating certification. I’d like to send in my last assignments by the end of April and hopefully (if I pass) that means I’ll graduate by May!
3 Register my business.
4 Get my driver’s license. Yes, it’s time. I’ve been taking lessons and I should have my license by February. Can’t wait!
5 Sew a heart-shaped pillow. I’ve started on a hear-shaped pillow for my study, but have yet to finish it.
6 Make my own roman blinds. A step up in the handmade, sewing projects. I just like the idea of tacking this myself and making blinds out of a piece of fabric. There is such satisfaction in making something with your very own hands!
7 Open an Etsy store. Not that I don’t have enough on my plate already, but I’ve had this idea in my head for a side/hobby business where I could just direct any leftover creative energy I will have to. I am not sure how it will go and whether it will last, but I will set up that store and see where it goes!
8 Host a dinner party. While we occasionally have people over for dinner, we haven’t hosted anything that could qualify as a dinner party.
9 Go for a wine tasting at a winery in the Niagara area (where we live).
10 Go on a road trip. Even if it’s not very far, ideally I’d like to drive with Ben to Washington DC to see my sister. Not sure if that will happen though, I’ll settle for something a little closer to home if need be.
11 Make macaroons. I had them for the first time when visiting my sister in San Francisco and would really like to re-create that experience in my own kitchen!
12 Set up my website. I have an idea for a name for my interior decorating business already and I want to set up the website, even if it’s a starting point.
13 Paint a painting. I have painted furniture but never a painting, perhaps I can handle a small one.
14 Grow tomatoes, basil, oregano, parsley & garlic. I’d like to have all the ingredients for pasta sauce in my backyard!
15 Visit the Distillery District in Toronto. I read about this area in a magazine. There used to be a distillery but was transformed into an area with art galleries, cute shops and cafes. It’s supposed to have an old world feel and I’d really like to visit!

Well, there it is. It sort of looks like a lot now that I’ve typed it all out. Well…I do have four months to get it done – I’ll keep you posted on progress!

Have you ever made a list of things to do before you turn a certain age?